LOS ANGELES – Former Rosemead Mayor John Tran, a candidate for the 49th Assembly District, agreed Friday to plead guilty to accepting more than $10,000 in bribes from a property developer while on the City Council, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Akrotirianakis said Tran agreed to plead guilty after learning he could also face federal charges of extortion and obstruction of justice.

Tran faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 when he is sentenced, according to officials.

Tran, who was also an El Monte Union High School District board member until he resigned Friday, did not return calls seeking comment.

Prosecutors said the bribery scheme began in 2005 when the unnamed developer visited Rosemead City Hall to obtain permits for an office building he planned to build.

While there, he was approached by Tran, who, along with two other city employees, convinced the developer to build a mixed-use project on the site instead of the office building. They also recommended the developer buy the adjacent vacant lot, which he did.

Prosecutors said Tran later visited the developer at his office and asked to “borrow” $3,000, mentioning that he had helped the developer with his project. The two then drove to the Bank of the West branch at Valley and Rosemead boulevards, where the developer withdrew $3,000 in cash and gave it to Tran, according to prosecutors.

During the next two years, the developer made a series of payments to Tran, totaling $7,000, according to prosecutors.

In August 2007, Tran visited the developer and searched the office for electronic recording devices, according to prosecutors. During the visit, the developer asked why Tran “had not done anything in exchange for the money,” Tran’s indictment read. Tran responded by giving the developer two city documents showing that his project had received preliminary design approval from the city.

Prosecutors said Tran then asked the developer for more money and the developer’s business partner wrote Tran a check made out to cash for $3,200.

Later that month, the developer refused to pay any additional money to Tran.

During his tenure on the council, Tran was a strong advocate for bringing mixed- use development to the city and increasing the small city’s population by some 30 percent.

Those plans proved controversial to many Rosemead residents, and Tran lost his seat in 2009 by a single vote.

Shortly after, the Rosemead City Council decided to put the brakes on its support of mixed- use development.

The project of the developer who paid Tran was never approved.

Akrotirianakis said the developer later tipped off the FBI to the bribery.

“Mr. Tran, at times when he would go to obtain money from the informant, he would remind the informant that he had business in front of the city,” Akrotirianakis said. “If you use your public office to obtain money from someone, that would be extortion under federal law.”

The prosecutor declined to discuss the details of why Tran faced the possibility of an obstruction of justice charge.

Akrotirianakis said Tran will appear in court Feb. 21 for an arraignment. He expects sentencing will come several weeks after that.

In the wake of Friday’s announcement, Tran resigned his position on the El Monte Union High School District board of education, to which he was elected in 2009.

Superintendent Nick Salerno said he received a letter of resignation from Tran that read “I must turn my attention to the support of my family during a difficult time of personal crisis.”

According to a blog associated with his election campaign, Tran spent his time at El Monte Union “focused on rooting out corruption in the school district.”

The revelation that Tran could face time in federal prison surprised some of those he worked with during a political career that began at age 23, when he was elected as the youngest member of the Garvey school board.

Polly Low, a Rosemead councilwoman, worked with Tran while he was on that City Council. In November, she endorsed his candidacy for the 49th Assembly District, as did dozens of other local elected officials according to Tran’s campaign.

“What he did was definitely wrong,” Low said. “It really hurt the people who loved him, supported him and had high hopes for him. It’s a reminder for all of us elected officials we need to have high integrity.”

Others who knew Tran said they weren’t surprised.

Maggie Clark, a Rosemead councilwoman, said she had heard bribery rumors after he was no longer on the council, but wasn’t sure what to make of them.

“I wasn’t surprised, but I feel bad for his family,” Clark said. “I’ve been offered bribes and not accepted them.”

Cathy Satterfield, president of the El Monte Union teachers union, often questioned Tran’s integrity during his tenure at the district.

While Tran has not been charged with any wrongdoing at the school district, Satterfield said she had concerns about how the board was awarding contracts and taking bids on projects.

“I don’t know what to say besides, ‘I told you so,”‘ she said. “When you make a decision like that, you can’t turn back the clock.”

Tran’s agreement to plead guilty to the felony charge spells the end of his run for the newly redrawn 49th Assembly District – the first Asian-majority district in the country. The California Constitution prohibits those convicted of bribery from serving in public office.

Edwin Chau, who is seeking the same seat, said Tran could have been a strong competitor in a crowded field.

“Because he was the former mayor, he probably had a base and supporters,” Chau said.

The West San Gabriel Valley has been rocked in recent years by scandals involving local elected officials. In 2010, former Temple City Mayor Judy Wong pleaded no contest to bribery and perjury charges after a developer contacted law enforcement officials. She was sentenced to 16 months in prison.

Last year, former Temple City Mayor Cathe Wilson was convicted of six counts of bribery and perjury in the same case and received a four-year prison term. She is appealing her conviction.

Also last year, former Monterey Park Councilwoman Sharon Martinez received three years’ probation after pleading guilty to one felony count of forgery involving a campaign flier.